Ronda Rousey Won’t Fight Anytime Soon After Deciding To Take More Time Off

UFC president Dana White assured fans in December a rematch of UFC 193 between Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm would be on the way. While that long-anticipated rematch hasn’t been canceled, it has been put on hiatus for now. Speaking with Yahoo Sports, White said Rousey has asked for more time off and will not fight at UFC 200 against Holm in July. The reason, per White, is so Rousey can fulfill her obligations to film the remake of the movie Roadhouse.

“The filming of the movie got pushed back,” White said. “She could do both, but the question is, should she do both? She could do both, but why should she? The filming is in a time frame where she’d finish before 200, but it would be cutting it too close.”

If Rousey has learned any lesson from her loss to Holm, it’s that having too many items on her plate is indeed detrimental. As of last month, Rousey was scheduled to shoot two movies, one being Roadhouse, before her rematch with Holm. Then there’s the whole physical toll of that kick to the head seen ’round the world. Concerns about whether Rousey could so much as eat an apple in six months, while dramatic, created a sense that Rousey shouldn’t rush her return.

Ultimately, though, Rousey has a lot going on and she’s taking time away from MMA after becoming the face of the sport — male or female. There’s not much White can do about it anyway, but it sounds as though he’s supportive of her projects outside the sport.

“The way I look at this one is, Ronda has worked her ass off for us for the last three years,” White said. “She’s been fighting, promoting and building the sport. If anyone deserves the time off, it’s her. The night (of UFC 193) Holly said she’d do the rematch and that Ronda deserved it and everything else. So we were holding it for her if she wanted to do it.

The risk of delaying the Rousey-Holm rematch any longer, of course, is that Holm is set to defend her title at UFC 197 in March against Miesha Tate. If Tate were to beat Holm, it would obviously take a lot of air out of the fight more people care about. If Rousey comes back from her other obligations with a new mindset and healthier than ever, that risk would be worth it.

This makes part of me think she might be done for the time being. Whether she’s doubting herself right now or whether she’s just moving on to acting and whatever else, I don’t think we’ll see her back til she needs a payday.

I’m not sure about ‘doubting herself,’ per se. It’s a good business move, frankly, for Ronda to strike now with movie/TV roles while the iron is hot. If she loses again to Holm, then her marketability drops way down. Best to do the extra-curricular stuff to bank some money, then jump back into full-on training to prepare for the title rematch so she’s completely focused.